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Jessamine Kaldwin
Jessamine Kaldwin I is the late Empress of the Empire of the Isles, who is killed by the assassin Daud on the orders of the Royal Spymaster Hiram Burrows. Before her death, Jessamine watches helplessly as her daughter, Emily Kaldwin, is kidnapped by Daud's assassins. As she passes, she charges Corvo Attano with the safe return and protection of her beloved child. Her body and circumstance are later used to charge Corvo with treason, kidnapping, and murder. Biography Born to Euhorn and Beatrix Kaldwin on the 3rd day of the Month of Earth, 1805,Dishonored: The Dunwall Archives Jessamine is the second ruler in the Kaldwin line, which rose to power after the assassination of Empress Larisa Olaskir left the former ruling dynasty with no heirs.Empress Jessamine Kaldwin (book) After naming Corvo Attano her Royal Protector at age 12,Developer Commentary - AppointmentThe Royal Protector she was crowned soon after her father's death in 1825.Developer Commentary - The EmpressDishonored: The Dunwall Archives While her father presided over a period of relative peace and prosperity, Jessamine's time as ruler saw "political intrigue and minor conflicts that created cracks in the Empire, undermining unity across the Isles." The exact nature of these conflicts is unknown. Jessamine committed herself to a just and compassionate rule, doing whatever it took to alleviate the suffering of her people. For instance, she rejects Hiram Burrows' proposal to establish quarantines and a deportation program as a response to the rat plague, believing they should value the lives of all of Dunwall's citizens. She is also a very trusting person, which strained her relationship with the paranoid Royal Spymaster,Field Notes: The Royal Spy and likewise blinded her to his scheming. Though they are not seen together during Dishonored, Jessamine is said to have been familiar with Anton Sokolov.[[The Heart/Quotes#Anton Sokolov|''"Anton Sokolov. He knew me once. And did much to set me on my path."]] Sokolov also mentions personal knowledge he has of Jessamine, telling Corvo she was "a strange one. Stranger, I think, than you know." Jessamine maintained a close relationship with Corvo Attano, and the two became lovers on the 2nd day of the Month of Rain, 1823. While the relationship is kept secret, rumors about it are prevalent throughout Dunwall. This gossip, along with the fact that Jessamine never married,Developer Commentary - The Empress have resulted in speculation that Emily was born of the affair. ''Dishonored After sending Corvo on a mission to seek aid for the rat plague from the other nations of the Empire, Jessamine tasked Hiram Burrows with uncovering the origin of the rat plague to determine what, or who, was responsible. Fearing he would be exposed, Burrows arranged for Jessamine to be assassinated two days before Corvo's return to Dunwall, which would allow the Spymaster to take power for himself. In the period leading up to the assassination, Burrows petitions the Empress to allow the use of aggressive security measures to combat the plague. She strongly rebukes the suggestion, saying that efforts would be made to save all of the people of the city, and she would not discuss the matter again. When Corvo returns from his mission two days early, Jessamine is distraught to learn that Dunwall is to be barricaded by the other nations of the Empire to stem the spread of the plague. However, before she can address the matter, Daud's assassins attack and neutralize Corvo. Jessamine attacks Daud to save Emily, but is assaulted herself and fatally wounded. After begging Corvo to find and protect Emily, she passes away. It is believed that the Outsider removed Jessamine's heart upon her death in 1837and used Piero Joplin to mechanically modify it,Piero's Speculation on the Spirit trapping her spirit, and presented it to Corvo as "a gift" to aid his search for the tools that he would need to avenge her. Her voice and memories emit themselves from the Heart when Corvo activates it. The Heart's inconsistent knowledge of the Empress' death,[Heart/Quotes#Farley Havelock|''"He [Farley Havelock has the bloodlust. He tried to seize control of the military after the Empress... after she? The Empress was murdered."]] its anger toward Daud,[[The Heart/Quotes#Daud|"Why have you brought me here? Am I meant to forgive this man for what he did?"]] and its recognition of Dunwall Tower (as well as its suggestion that it and Corvo had both been there prior to the events of Return to the Tower[[The Heart/Quotes#Return to the Tower|"We have both been here before."]]) support this theory. Developer input has confirmed that the Heart is indeed that of Jessamine Kaldwin. Jessamine was both loved and hated by the people that she served - commendations and condemnations of her can be found throughout Dunwall in the form of graffiti and overheard conversations. Trivia *Jessamine is voiced by April Stewart, who also voices the Heart. *In a hidden room in the back of Dunwall Tower there is an audiograph that Jessamine was planning to give to Emily. It details the weight on Jessamine's shoulders because of the rat plague, how much Corvo and Еmily mean to her, and Emily's future as empress. The audiograph also emphasizes that Corvo is "always close to her heart." *A bottle of whiskey and cigars can be found in the Empress' secret room, and she shared both with Corvo Attano on occasion.Developer Commentary - Whiskey and Cigars **A letter to Corvo found in the same room tells of Jessamine's sadness in Corvo's absence, and claims "when you are near, my heart is at peace." *When Corvo first enters the Void and finds Jessamine's corpse, there is a letter near her body reading, "YOU CANNOT SAVE HER." In ''The Knife of Dunwall, when Daud first enters the Void, he finds a similar letter near her saying, "YOU KILLED HER." Gallery concJess02.jpg|Concept art of Jessamine. empressgraffiti.jpg|Empress Graffiti concept art. concJess01.jpg|Concept art of Jessamine. Throne concept.png|Concept art of Jessamine Kaldwin's throne. Emilyandjessaminegazebo.jpg|Jessamine and Emily at the gazebo. 1 returning home02.png|Jessamine waits for Corvo with Emily. Empress.jpg|The Empress. screens01 jessamine2.png|Jessamine waits to receive the decree. jessaminenote.jpg|Jessamine reading the decree from the Isles, delivered by Corvo. screens01 jessamine.png|Jessamine as she reads. Emily jessamine 1.jpg|Jessamine and her daughter, Emily. Screens01_jessamineemily.png|Jessamine protecting Emily. Cutscene4.png|Jessamine protects Emily from Daud. jessamine1.png|Jessamine runs from Daud. Screen24 jessamine.jpg|Jessamine protects herself from Daud. jessamine2.png|Jessamine attempts to fight Daud as he grabs her by the throat. DaudMurderEmpress.jpg|Daud murdering the Empress. Jessamine dying.png|Jessamine as she dies. Jessamine dead void.png|Jessamine lying dead in the Void. Jessamine dead void kod.png|Jessamine, dead in the Void during The Knife of Dunwall. jessaminekaldwinstatute.png|Statue of Jessamine Kaldwin in front of the Rudshore Commerce Building. Jessamine kaldwin, city trials 2.png|Jessamine in Dunwall City Trials. Jessamine kaldwin, city trials 1.png|Jessamine as the final target in the Kill Cascade challenge. The Empress and the Empty Set.png|Anton Sokolov's painting of the Empress. Jessamine drawing.png|Jessamine, as she appears in Emily's drawing. Tarot Jessamine Kaldwin.png|Jessamine's tarot card in the Special Edition Tarot Deck. Tarot05.jpg|Jessamine's tarot card in the Dishonored: Game of the Year Edition Tarot Deck. References pl:Jessamine Kaldwin de:Jessamine Kaldwin ru:Джессамин Колдуин Category:Female Characters Category:Allies Category:Spoilers